The Empire Gang Strikes Back
by organanation
Summary: Third and final installment in "The West's New Hope" series. Han and Leia, a struggling couple living on their ranch in the Montana Territory, face all the difficulties of ranch living. A blizzard, a fire, and dealings with locals who are less than friendly.
1. Mortgage to Pay

_AN:Hi! Do you remember me? I'm back, with the third and final installment of The West's New Hope! Yes, yes, I know. "ON, what do you mean_ final? _" Don't worry-I've decided to combine some ESB and some RotJ things into one story for this. Just trust me! I've broken away from the Star Wars mold for this story, too, just to make things a little less Jedi and force centric and a little more focused on our dear Han and Leia._

 _Thanks eversomuch to the talented Corellian-smuggler and graciecatfamilyband/imnothere24 for their fantastic beta work, especially GCFB because she's been with me since the beginning of this process nearly a year ago. Yikes. Sorry fam._

 _Anyways, please enjoy these first two chapters of The Empire Gang Strikes Back!_

 **Mortgage to Pay**

Carlist Rieekan had stopped in to speak with Han, and Leia could hear their voices drifting over the barnyard from the corral. Walking over to call them in for coffee, she stopped short when she heard their conversation.

"I'd really appreciate it if you could help keep an eye on things while I'm gone. Chewie's more than able to run things, but bein' that it'll just be him, Luke, and CP riding range, he'll be glad to know you're handy," Han commented. _Where are you going, Han?_

"My pleasure. A mortgage like that ain't an easy thing to deal with," Rieekan agreed. _No. No, this can't be happening._

"Sure isn't."

Leia's mind reeled. Leaving? He'd decided to go on to Kansas after all, even after assuring her they'd make it work somehow, _here, together._

"Well, Solo, I wish you the best of luck. Hope to see you back before too long. You're a good neighbor, and we'd hate to lose you for good," Rieekan said. _For good? He wouldn't do that-he_ can't _do that!_

"Thanks. It won't be easy, bein' away from the hands, the ranch...Leia…" Leia heard him shuffling, "but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," Han stated.

Leia turned and hurried back into the cabin, biting back tears. She heard the sheriff's horse canter by a few minutes later, and by then, she'd moved from tears to red-hot anger.

00

"Sweetheart, we gotta-"

"Sit down," she demanded. "I thought we were going to do this together, Han. _Together,_ like man and wife. Now, if you had come to me and we'd discussed things, I might be able to understand this. But to _overhear_ you telling _someone else_ about a decision you made _without me_ -a decision that is _entirely opposite_ of the one we made together...I know that things are quite different out here, but I would have expected you to have the _common courtesy_ to at least _inform_ me that you'd changed your mind," Leia snarled.

"Leia, I was _gonna_ explain, but I didn't have time!"

"You had time to tell the sheriff, but not your own wife?"

"I'm gonna have to leave soon, and I wasn't sure if I'd get another chance to talk to him! I just wanted to make sure that you'd be taken care of!" he exclaimed. "I was _just_ coming in to tell you!"

"What _possibly_ could have happened in the last _day_ that has made you decide you need to do this?" she demanded.

"I went into town this mornin' and Jabba leaned on me," Han responded. He couldn't get the barkeep's words out of his head when he'd requested an extension on the payment: _I'd better get it soon, Solo, or I might just come out there and take my payment some other way-say, you got that little wife, now. Yeah, she'd do right fine..._ His stomach dropped just thinking about it.

"Jabba's been leaning on us for a while, Han, what was so different about this time?" she spat. _She'd do right fine…_

"Leia, it's...it was _different,_ okay? I'm leavin' in the morning," he stated with finality, marching angrily from the cabin.

00

Han stood, leaning on the fence, looking out over his pasture. The fence felt sure and strong under his weight...one of the few things he could be thankful for right now. He'd poured himself into this ranch for the past two years, and he was confident that he was leaving his hands and his wife with buildings and fences that were solid and stable, able to stand up to anything the prairie could throw at them.

If only _anything_ else in his life could be a solid as this fence.

He'd spent months leaning against this fence, looking out over the prairie for guidance and answers, and today was no different.

Was there any possible way he could leave things with Leia on a more settled note? If she would just _budge_ a little bit, admit she didn't want him to go…

If she could admit that she needed him... _loved_ him…

If she could admit that, he'd find a way to move the Rocky Mountains. _Tell her,_ the grasses whispered.

He'd find some way to stay and make it work...or he'd take her with him when he left…

00

"Guess this is it," Han said, entering the cabin.

"So it is," she replied without feeling, not even looking up from the dish pan. Han waited a moment for her to say more.

"Well, don't get all _mushy_ on me, Sweetheart. So long," Han stated. He turned on his heel and marched out of the cabin.

"Han, we need you!" she called, following closely after him.

"We?" he chorused. That was really it, wasn't it? _Leia_ never needed him. _They_ did. The ranch. The hands. But _she_ never needed a husband, a friend, a protector, provider, or confidant. She never needed _him_.

"Yes! We all-"

"What about what _you_ need?" Han asked, almost tauntingly, standing to face her. He'd thought, in the last three months, they'd made _some_ progress, that he'd cut through the barriers she'd built around herself after losing her parents, facing an uncertain future, and moving westward. Apparently not.

" _I_ need?" she returned, her quick change of posture suddenly making him feel like he was looming over her. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, taking on her haughtiest tone of voice.

"No, you probably don't," he retorted.

"What precisely am I supposed to know?" she demanded, following along behind him.

"You want me to stay because you care for me," Han goaded, watching her for a reaction.

"Of course! I _came_ _out here_ to care for you."

"No, no-you know what I mean," he pressed. Han stood over her again, contemplating kissing her right then and there. She looked cornered, like he'd just discovered her darkest secret. "Ah, ah, I thought so!" he stated triumphantly. Leia's anger returned and she scoffed.

"You're imagining things," she assured him, taking a step back.

"Am I? Than why are you following me?" he asked. "Afraid I was going to leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?"

"I'd just as soon kiss the cattle," Leia sputtered.

"I can arrange that!" Han shouted. He walked into the barn with his bags, leaving Leia standing in the yard.

00

"We can't let them end it this way. I know Han, and if this don't get resolved, there's a good chance he'll put off returnin' as long as possible," Chewie murmured. The three ranch hands were gathered behind the barn.

"Do you really think it's our place to get involved?" CP asked.

"Shut up, CP. Those kids are lettin' pride wreck their marriage. You know how things are when they fight, all ice and silence. You want that for the next 50 years?" Chewie asked.

"Chewie's right. We just gotta think of somethin'..." Luke whispered.

"Perhaps they will come to some sort of reconciliation on their own," CP suggested.

"That ain't gonna happen. Han's leavin' as soon as he's done checkin' the cattle and saddles up," Luke replied.

"Alls we gotta do is keep him here for a little while longer. You said Millennium wasn't ready to go? I'll do something...dismantle his bridle maybe. CP, you take Rusty and go keep Han out of the barn until I can get it all apart," the foreman instructed. "And hurry-there's a storm brewin' off to the north. Luke, go check the cattle in the south shed." The three men hurried off on their appointed mission.

 _AN:Oh, these two...please leave me a review!_


	2. Spring Blizzard

**Spring Blizzard**

"Sir, excuse me, sir!" CP intercepted Han on his way back to the barn.

"What do you want?" Han asked, not stopping his lengthy gait.

"Sir, Miss Leia would like to speak with you."

"Yeah, well, I don't wanna talk to her," Han huffed.

"Please, sir! Oh, dear, sir, please, don't go in there!" CP begged, jumping in front of the barn door.

"What in tarnation is goin' on here? Why can't I go in my own barn?" Han demanded. Chewie ambled over and gave CP a jab to the side.

"Just polishin' up the bridles," he said. Han peeked around CP at all the bridles lying, dismantled, on the workbench.

"Why did you have to do that _now_?!" Han demanded. "I'm tryin' to get outta here and you go and pull all these apart?!" Chewie fumbled for an excuse. A cold wind blew through the barnyard and they all shivered as a dark cloud covered the sun.

"Sir, Mistress Leia would really like to speak with you," CP interjected.

"Put those bridles back together," Han ordered.

"Well, I already got 'em apart…"

"Might I have a word, sir?"

"Wouldn't do to put 'em all back together without oiling them…"

"Miss Leia, sir!"

Snowflakes began falling, adding to his confusion.

"What on earth is goin' on here?!"

"Looks like you can't leave today," Chewie said, almost... _gleefully_.

"Guess not," Han muttered, walking into the barn. "Get me a rag. Might as well help you get these damn things back together if it's gonna snow. That way, I can get out quick as soon as the snow stops."

"Sir, Mistress Leia-"

"I don't wanna talk to Leia. Get in here and help us with these bridles," Han ordered.

The snow picked up steadily over the next ten minutes until it was covering the entire barnyard with a soft blanket of white. It appeared they were nearing Christmas instead of summer.

"Where's the kid?" Han asked after a few minutes of tense silence.

"He went down to check on the girls in the south shed," Chewie explained, "but that was pert near an hour ago now. Hard to believe he ain't back yet."

"The snow's getting heavier and it'll be dark soon," CP said.

"It wouldn't be hard to get turned around out on Yavin Ridge in snow like this," Chewie added. "You could walk for miles and not hit a thing." Han's mouth was set in a grim line.

"I'm goin' after him," Han decided, pulling his heavy work jacket from the hook by the barn door.

"Han, it'll be nigh impossible in this weather! The temperature's been dropping all day," Chewie warned.

"Yeah, and Luke's out in it," Han returned, opening the barn door and setting out into the snow.

00

Leia jumped considerably when the door banged open. CP stumbled in with an armful of firewood which he deposited in a heap near the stone hearth before running back out the door for more.

"What's going on?" Leia demanded as he dropped the second armload.

"A late season blizzard, I'm afraid. Luke went to check the cattle and isn't back yet. Mr. Solo's set out to look for him, and Chewie has ridden to retrieve Sarah Rieekan."

"Slow down, slow down. Luke's lost?"

"Presumably so, ma'am.

"And Han went after him? In the blizzard?"

"Indeed."

"They're _both_ out there, wandering through this weather?" she clarified.

" _Yes_ , ma'am. Chewie is riding to fetch Mrs. Rieekan," he finished. Leia drew a calming breath.

Sarah Rieekan was the local midwife, and she was the one to find if any kind of medical help was necessary. They lived one ranch to the east, toward town. Chewie would be able to follow the fenceline there and back and not get lost...Han, however, would be walking open prairie in blinding whiteout conditions without a single landmark, and Luke...who knew where he could be? Her stomach churned. It would be one thing for him to be gone for several months after a bad argument, but he was wandering out in a blizzard with only his heavy coat for protection and his innate sense of direction for guidance.

CP's voice brought her back to reality. "Chewie instructed me to bring in a day's worth of heating and cooking wood, and to make sure there was plenty of water drawn in case the pumps flash-froze." With that, the wiry man scampered outside to collect more wood from the pile.

Several nerve-wracking minutes later, Chewie and Sarah Rieekan rode into the barnyard on horseback. They disappeared into the barn for a moment to take care of their mounts before coming, shivering, into the cabin.

"I'm so glad you're here," Leia said. "I'm...so worried about them."

"If anyone can make it through a whiteout, it's those two," Sarah assured. "In the meantime, we'll just sit here and pray."

00

Han couldn't feel his feet anymore. The water had started creeping into his boots...how long ago? It felt like hours, but it might have been only minutes. However long it had been, it had been long enough for his socks to freeze to the insides.

He pulled his coat collar higher and tighter against the wind, glad he was walking south and not north, which put the wind at his back instead of in his face.

"Luke! Luke Skywalker, if you can hear me, dammit, yell!" Han screamed into the wind, hurriedly tucking his mouth back beneath the cover of his coat.

How long had he been walking? It had been the middle of the afternoon when he started out, and now it was nearly dark…Luke hadn't been wearing a coat, and the straight-line winds hadn't kicked up until just after Han started out, so there was no telling if Luke was even _in_ this direction.

Han felt his strength fading fast, and his thoughts turned to Leia. Somehow, it was comforting to know that his final thoughts would be of her...of the day he'd taken her wading in the river, the first time he'd ever heard her _really_ laugh, the night at the harvest gathering when they'd danced the evening together, the hurt look in her eyes when he informed her he'd be leaving and didn't want her input.

He'd left without making things right with her. He'd been planning on leaving for _months_ without resolving things with her...if he made it out of this, he had to fix it, had to make things okay.

Han took another step and plunged down into a ravine.

Swearing loudly, he got to his feet, hoping that his frozen body wasn't concealing a turned ankle or busted rib. He turned back into the wall of the ravine and wondered if he was hallucinating: Luke was curled out of the wind, shivering wildly.

"Kid! Kid, can you hear me?" Han knelt beside Luke and shook him slightly. "Luke! Wake up!"

"Texas! Ben! Ben! Ben!" Luke hollered suddenly.

"Luke! Luke, come on, give me a sign," Han called, shifting the younger man's body into an upright position.

"Ben! Be-en! Texas!"

"Come on, kid. We're goin' back to the ranch," Han stated, giving the kid's arm a tug and shouldering his slight form.

00

Leia spent the entire evening in terrified silent vigil. She mechanically prepared supper for Sarah and the hands, but didn't eat a bite of it herself.

Her mind was brought back to her parents' last days, as they lay dying of fever. The doctors had limited her contact with them, and she'd spent much of her time waiting in the parlor for her few moments with them. The days had been long and lonely and full of worry and little sleep.

As the mantle clock ticked the hours away, six, seven, eight, her small glimmer of hope faded to a flicker. No one said as much, but she could tell that the others in the cabin felt the same way.

Chewie made it to the barn to check the animals and came in with the blankets from the bunkhouse. He made up a bed on the floor and CP made one for himself, but Leia and Sarah stayed up, staring wordlessly into the fire.

It was nearing nine o'clock when something hard fell into the door, causing the entire cabin to rattle.

Everyone jumped up and CP hurried to open the door.

" _Han,"_ Leia breathed, almost trembling in relief, the tension she'd been holding all evening suddenly vanishing and making her feel shaky.

Han stumbled forward and let Chewie take hold of Luke. Leia hurried forward and let Han lean on her.

"Get him out of those clothes and into bed," Sarah instructed Leia, turning her attention to Luke.

Leia pulled Han further into the cabin and helped him out of his frozen clothing.

"Hel—help Luke…he's worse," Han mumbled, his teeth chattering.

"Sarah and Chewie are with him. He'll be fine. Now, get your fingers out of the way so I can take your wet jacket off," she ordered.

"Can—can—can't feel my feet," he chattered as she divested him of his clothing that was nearly frozen stiff.

When he was standing before her in his long johns, Leia helped him over to the bed and began thawing out his extremities with snow-Han had taught her this remedy for frostbite during one of the first blizzards of the winter. It kept cold blood from circulating too quickly. Han seemed only partially conscious through the whole process, but a healthy red color started flowing through his fingers, toes, and face, and Leia let herself relax a bit. She spared a glance down at Luke. Sarah and Chewie had him in front of the fire, trying to ward off hypothermia. Frostbite, for him, was a given, and they didn't have time to warm him up slowly if they wanted to save his life.

Still, he was alive. They both were. They'd come through the hardest part.

Leia drew the quilts up to Han's chin, hoping that it wasn't too soon and that his body temperature wouldn't spike. She gently put the back of her hand to his cheeks, testing them for warmth. They felt good- warm but not too warm. Her hand moved down his arms and she rubbed, trying to make sure the blood was circulating properly. It came to rest in the center of his chest, searching for a heartbeat through all those blankets.

She sat in the stillness like that for several minutes, listening to the fire crackling and Chewie and Sarah talking over Luke. CP had long since returned to his bedroll. Rusty lay at his master's feet, head on his paws but large dark eyes open and alert.

"I think that's all we can do for him now. It's out of our hands," Sarah finally said. Chewie murmured an agreement. "How's Han?" Sarah asked. She looked him over and praised Leia's work.

"I'm just.. _.so_ relieved," Leia murmured, not taking her eyes of her husband's sleeping visage.

"Your boys came home," Sarah agreed. "Now come on, dear. It's late, and you're dead on your feet. You get some rest."

"Shouldn't someone keep an eye on them?"

"I'm a light sleeper, and besides, can you think of a better place to keep an eye on Han than in bed right beside him?" Sarah asked. "It'll help his body to regulate much easier with another warm body in there," Sarah suggested nonchalantly, washing her hands in the basin of warm water.

"Cra—crawl in bed? With…him?" Leia asked. Sarah glanced up from her hands.

"Yes, dear. Luke's out and the others are sleepin', so you could even put a nightgown on. Flannel'd be best. It'll help with the heat transfer. Now, go on, I won't look," Sarah insisted.

Leia pulled out her warm flannel nightgown and quickly changed out of her work dress and petticoats. Warm wool socks covered her feet and she eased into the bed beside Han, gently arranging the covers over the top of them. Leia took the pins from her hair and brushed it out gently, trying to rationalize the moment. Thousands of married people slept side by side every night. Surely she and Han could do the same.

All her thoughts, however, couldn't still her racing heart as she plaited her hair and let it fall against the pillow.

Leia shifted under the quilts, moving so her body was parallel to Han's, her head on the pillow beside his. Her fingers found his and she wound them together just slightly, craving a few moments of contact to prove that he was real.

"Goodnight, Leia," Sarah said quietly.

"Goodnight," Leia whispered, but not to Sarah.

00

Han awoke slowly, like a fog was dissipating from his head. Leia shifted beside him—it _was_ Leia, wasn't it? Yes, there was that rosy scent of hers. She sat up suddenly, her flannel nightgown brushing against his arm.

"You're awake," she whispered. The cool back of her palm pressed against his cheek. "No fever. That's good. How about your fingers? Can you feel them? Move them?" she asked. Han wiggled his fingers. They were a little tingly, but nothing like the angry burn of frostbite.

"Yeah."

"Toes too?"

Han checked. "Toes too," he confirmed.

"Good. No frostbite to speak of. Let me get you something to drink." She was up and out of the bed at that and Han sat up slowly, trying to clear his head.

Was he dreaming? He had to be. He and Leia hadn't shared a bed before. They barely touched each other, excluding when it was medically necessary, and yet she'd been curled up against him just moments ago…

She returned with two cups and perched primly on the bed beside him.

"Water first," she instructed quietly, handing one of the cups over. He downed it in one gulp, surprised at the acute dryness in his mouth.

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking the other cup from her. This one was warm and smelled like whiskey. Toddy. He drank that one a bit slower while she refilled the water.

"Better? No rattling in your chest?" she asked nervously.

"You oughtta know, Sweetheart. You were the one with your ear right there a minute ago," he teased weakly. Her expression told him to cut the kidding. "No rattles."

"Hopefully you missed the pneumonia, too." Leia stood and tucked the blankets back around him. "You should sleep for a while more," she instructed, stepping away from him.

"You're not gonna sleep with me?" he asked, almost forlornly. She turned back to him quickly, a glimmer of light in her eyes. "You look beat, too, Sweetheart. Lay back down," Han requested. Leia set the cups on the sideboard.

"Okay," she agreed, returning to the bedside. Han lifted the blankets and she snuggled into where she belonged.

 _AN: That's all we've got for today-return Saturday to these same stations for the next installment! As always, find me on tumblr organanation and please leave a review!_


	3. Lifting Fog

_AN: Here we are with another two chapters! Thanks for your warm welcome back and your reviews!  
_

 **Lifting Fog**

Leia's space on the bed beside him was empty when he woke up again. It was still warm, though-she'd stayed beside him for a while. He sat up slowly, hoping the throbbing in his head from earlier wouldn't return. He could make out Leia's and Sarah's figures working by the stove.

When he coughed, she turned and came over to the bed.

"Still feeling okay?" she asked, sitting down on top of the quilts.

He wanted to tell her no, that she needed to curl up with him again right away to help fend off the chill, but he just nodded his head.

"Good. Breakfast is almost ready. Do you think you can come to the table?"

"It'll be good for me to sit up for a while," he assured her.

Luke coughed from under the quilts on the hearth.

"The kid okay?" Han asked, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and reaching for his flannel shirt.

"He'll live, thanks to you," Sarah praised.

"'S nothin'," Han brushed. Leia laid an appreciative hand on his shoulder before putting a plate of eggs in front of him.

Chewie came in through the door, and Han could see that the blizzard had stopped.

"Herd okay?" Han asked, digging into the food.

"Herd's fine. _You_ okay?" the foreman asked.

"I'll make it," he promised. Luke coughed again, a deep, rattling chest cough.

Sarah sighed. "And now, we pray."

00

Luke was out for the rest of the day. Sarah returned home in the afternoon. Chewie and Leia took turns sitting beside Luke, feeding him broth and giving him water when he was conscious. He groggily asked questions about what had happened, and they did their best to relay the events of the last 24 hours to him.

That night, Chewie and CP slept in the bunkhouse. The wind had kicked back up, though, so Luke stayed on the floor before the fire, and Han slept beside Leia in the big bed to ward off the chill.

The next morning, Luke was sitting up when Han awoke. Rusty was laying happily beside his master, panting and nosing his ear. He slipped out of bed, tucking the quilts carefully around Leia to keep the heat in.

"How ya feelin' kid?" he asked. "You don't look so bad to me. In fact, you look strong enough to wrangle a bull," Han said, kneeling beside Luke's pallet.

"Thanks to you," Luke chuckled, leaning up on his elbows.

"That's two you owe me, junior," Han teased, ruffling Luke's hair. Luke smiled, and Han stood and strode to the stove.

Leia had stirred at the sound of voices, and she sat at the edge of the bed for a moment, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Han prepared a pot of coffee, and Leia seemed to perk up a bit after smelling the strong brew.

Leia reached for Han's old shirt to cover her nightgown.

"Well, Sweetheart, looks like _you've_ found a way to keep warm," Han teased, tugging at the collar of the shirt and giving her a wink. Leia flushed a deep red. She was unaccustomed to his playful flirting with others around, and she wasn't sure she was comfortable with having an audience.

Chewie and CP came in, each pouring a cup of coffee and sitting down at the table.

"Well, you had nothing to do with it. Luke needed the space. I could hardly stay in here with him while you slept in the bunkhouse," she defended, trying to convey in her tone that he'd taken it too far..

"I just think you couldn't bear to let a man like me away from your side," Han pestered.

Leia balked at his nerve and grew irate.

"I don't know where you get your delusions, Saddlebrain," Leia shot back. Chewie chuckled. Han crossed his arms and shrugged goodnaturedly.

"Laugh it up, buddy. You didn't see us all cozy under the blankets last night," Han bragged.

Leia flushed as all the men's eyes fell on her. How _dare_ he...would he brag about _all_ of their...wasn't anything sacred, just between them?

"Why you...stuck up...half-witted...scruffy-looking cowboy!" Leia exclaimed. She grabbed her clothes off the hook and threw Han's shirt back over the bed. The cabin door closed with a bang as she went around to the lean-to to change.

00

Luke's silhouette darkened the cabin door a few mornings later. He'd been resting in the bunkhouse, for the most part, since the fraught night earlier in the week.

"It's good to see you up and about," Leia exclaimed, pulling out a chair at the table for him.

"Feels good, too," he replied. "Leia, I have something to tell you...I have to go."

She sat down quickly, her light mood dissipating. "Go?"

"It's time for me to go to Texas and become a lawman. I...I know it sounds stupid, but...I had a dream out there in the blizzard. Ben came back to me and...and he told me I'm ready."

"Luke, do you really think you can-"

"Please believe me. Haven't you ever known something was just _right_ , deep down, even though it sounded like the worst thing you could ever do?" Luke implosed. Her decision to answer Han's advertisement immediately came to mind. Everything she'd ever known had told her to put that thought from her mind and never again reconsider something so foolish, yet here she was, nearly a year later, and now a year later, Leia could no longer deny that she'd been falling for him with each passing day.

"I understand," she replied quietly. Luke's face lit up, like he'd been expecting to be called insane. "When are you leaving?"

"End of the week."

Leia looked into the eyes of her dearest friend on the ranch. She'd miss him terribly. "Have you told Han yet?"

Luke looked to the floor. "Not yet. I wanted to tell you first...see how you think he'll feel about it."

"Heaven only knows what Han's thinking," Leia teased. "He's always known you'd be moving on, though, and there are new folks coming all the time. I think he'll be able to find a new hand in due time."

"Thanks, Leia," Luke said, pulling her up into a hug.

"I'll miss you so," she promised, appreciating the brotherly embrace.

"And I'll miss you, too," Luke chorused.

Han cleared his throat from the doorstep, clearly less than pleased to stumble upon Leia in the heartfelt embrace of another man.

Leia saw the look on his face, and drew back from Luke. Was he jealous? It was him she slept beside each night, him she snuggled into every morning when she didn't want to get out of bed for chores. It was him with whom she spent every evening, perhaps not sharing stories, but at least sharing company.

Perhaps this was a good sign: he _cared_.

"Breakfast will be ready soon," Leia promised her husband. "In the meantime, here's some coffee. Just the way you like it." She pressed the cup into his hands, unable to keep from lingering in his space.

His smile told her everything she needed to know.

00

Luke told Han of his departure that afternoon, and suddenly, Han felt like he finally had the upper hand. Leia had been subdued all day, but he finally felt like her dull mood wasn't caused by something he'd said or done. While Han could tell that Leia wasn't necessarily _angry_ at Luke, the tension of loss that was strung between the two of them was palpable. And by some miracle, that tension had pushed her towards Han.

When it came time for bed, Leia didn't set out the blankets for his pallet bed. They'd been sleeping side by side in the big bed since the blizzard, even though they didn't need to share heat anymore. Han was nervously optimistic-no words had passed between them about his attempt to leave, but they both seemingly understood that Han wasn't leaving.

Leia avoided eye contact as she slipped into bed beside him, arranging the quilts carefully over hardly breathed, trying to remain as calm and still as possible. Another thing they hadn't discussed-his teasing that had obviously struck her in the wrong place. She'd apparently forgiven him, but he wasn't taking any chances of screwing things up with her yet again.

When it had been still and silent for a moment, and Han thought she was asleep, she turned carefully on her side to face him.

"You'll stay?" she whispered. He knew she wasn't talking about staying in bed with her, or staying in the cabin for breakfast the next morning. She was talking about Kansas and... forever.

"I'll stay," he confirmed. Leia turned onto her back again and released a contented sigh. A moment later, chilly, slim fingers slipped into his.


	4. Burning Falcon Ranch

_AN: Second chapter for today! We've got a beg stir here-hang on!_

 **Burning Falcon Ranch**

A fist pounded on the door in the middle of the night. Han scrambled to get out of bed.

"Hey, Solo! This oughta teach you not to fight with people who are bigger'n you!"

Leia didn't recognize the voice, and from the confused look on Han's face, he didn't either.

"Somethin' bad's about to happen. Get dressed and take this," Han demanded, setting the loaded rifle and the box of charges on the table. She heard the snap of his holster belt in the dark and he was out the door.

Leia rushed out of bed and fumbled for her dress, her mind reeling. All she could think of was the last time they were pulled out of bed in the middle of the night-when their cattle were rustled.

Leaving the back of her dress unfastened, Leia took up the rifle and ran into the barnyard. Flames were licking out of the bunkhouse and crawling up the side of the barn.

Suddenly, four men dressed all in black rode through the barnyard and Leia shrunk up against the pumphouse. The horses trampled right through the small fence around her vegetable garden and crushed all of the sprouts she was so proud of.

The last man had a torch and he sent it flying through the air with a flick of his arm. Leia watched in horror as it landed on the roof of the cabin and ignited some of the wooden shingles. The riders beat a path toward the road, and Leia fumbled quickly in the chilly air to aim the rifle and get a few shots off.

The shots came nowhere close to the riders, but she hoped it would get the message across. Leia ran toward the barn. She jumped back as Han and Luke rode after the trespassers on their horses at full blast.

Chewie came out next and he all but scooped her up and brought her away from the flaming barn.

"The Empire Gang?" Leia asked.

"Think so. Barn's too dry to save. We're grabbin' what we can," Chewie explained hurriedly.

"The cabin, that too-" Leia tried to tell him, but he was running back into the barn. Leia discarded the rifle and followed Chewie, taking an armful of supplies from him and dumping them out of the way of danger in the barnyard.

"Rusty! Hold him back!" CP cried, the anxious dog sticking close to his heels. Leia grabbed the dog and heaved him into her arms, carrying him to a place out of the way and collapsing with him to the ground. He whimpered and struggled against her for a moment, and she worked to calm both their nerves, knowing she needed to have steady nerves and a clear head to help with the first aid the hands were likely to require.

Han and Luke rode back in, and she heard her husband yell over the roar of flames to Chewie that they hadn't caught a single one.

Leia felt utterly helpless as she knelt with Rusty and watched their ranch go up in flames. Every time someone rushed back into the blazing barn, her heart stopped. The structure of the barn soon wouldn't be strong enough to stand.

"Take Leia and get to the cattle shed!" she heard Han order Luke. Luke ran over to Leia and started to repeat what Han had said, taking his dog from her arms and pulling her to her feet.

"My trunk!" Leia interrupted, yelling over the roar of the blaze.

"Leave it!" Luke hollered back, practically dragging her to his mount.

Leia yanked free from his grasp and ran toward the cabin, determined to save the only pieces of her parents that were left in the world.

"Get down to the shed-where's Leia?" Han demanded, suddenly realizing she wasn't near.

"She ran back into the cabin! I tried to stop her, but-"

"Go to the shed! I'll get Leia!" Without another word, Han raced into the cabin. "Leia! Leia!" he yelled. Through the smoke, he saw her dragging her trunk toward the door. "Dammit, woman! Get out!" The smoke was burning his throat and lungs and eyes, even through the kerchief over his mouth.

"Everything I have is in this trunk!" she returned.

 _And everything_ I _have is you,_ Han thought. Without thinking, he shoved Leia towards the door and grabbed the trunk, yanking with all of his might and falling out the door behind her.

"You're crazy!" Han yelled, scrambling to his feet and shoving the trunk away from the crumbling cabin.

" _Everything_ is in there," Leia repeated. The main structure of the cabin cracked just then, sending sparks and flames and embers leaping into the air.

"We're gettin' outta here," Han demanded. "We'll come for them at dawn." Millennium was over by the fence, dancing nervously and whinnying. Han soothed his mount quickly, gave Leia a leg up, and swung up in front of her. The stallion was all too happy to be running away from the fire, and Leia held tightly to Han's midriff as they galloped down Yavin Ridge toward the cattle shed.

Everything was eerily silent as the steed stumbled to a halt. Chewie helped Leia down, and Han's feet hit the ground just behind her's. The hands were quiet for a moment as Han contemplated what to do.

"Put the horses in the shed and let's check on the cattle. It'll be dawn soon, and we'll see what the damage is then."

 _AN: More chapters coming early next week! Please leave a review for me!_


	5. Black Dawn

_AN: This chapter's a little shorter, but the next one makes up for it, I promise!_

 **Black Dawn**

The Rieekans had come at first light, knowing from the amount of black smoke rising from Falcon Ranch that something had happened. Han, Leia, and the hands were up at the smoldering wreckage. Things of all manners had been thrown from the barn and the bunkhouse during the blaze, and they were collecting what they could. The sheriff had gone straight to town to see what could be done, and Sarah stayed to help.

Her hands and feet had been burned badly after going back in for her trunk, and Sarah bandaged them carefully, reminding Leia of the time she'd taken a bad fall as a child. Breha hadn't scolded her, as she'd feared, but took her daughter into her lap and carefully tended to her injuries. The memories of Breha combined with the fire were too much for Leia, and a tear fell from her eye. A moment later, Leia was sobbing into Sarah's shoulder as the woman comforted her.

Leia was thankful that Han wasn't around. He'd lost even more than she had-he'd put his entire life into this ranch and had been met with disaster at every turn. Most, if not all, of his worldly possessions were now lying in a pile of ashes where their homestead had once stood. Still, he'd found it in himself to go on with his chores, tending his cattle and seeing to his land. Sarah held Leia to her chest until no more tears would come, then used her handkerchief and a pan of cool river water to wipe the tear-streaked ashes from Leia's face.

Luke and Chewie loaded the wagon with the salvageable things and brought them down to the shed. Several of the tools had been saved, for which Leia was grateful. Han had built the ranch back from the ruins once before, and she was certain he'd be able to do it again. Few items from the cabin, however, were left unscathed by the fire, aside from the things in Leia's trunk and a handful of tin cooking items.

After a measly breakfast of fresh milk and dry biscuits, Han and the hands began working to make the south pasture their temporary homestead. Sarah stayed with Leia to help her scour the scorch marks from the dishes and spread the blankets out to let the prairie wind take the sting of smoke from the fabric.

By the afternoon, a small lean-to was propped against the shed for the men to sleep in, and Leia had a small bed in the hayloft. A table made from boards laid across apple crates, and a place for a fire that wouldn't touch off any of the prairie grasses.

Sarah left in the afternoon when Han came in for something to eat. Leia served him a poorly-prepared bowl of grits, and he ate silently, unable to meet her eyes.

"I think I'm gonna have to take the job," he finally muttered. Leia froze.

"You're leaving?"

"We're about as low as we can go right now, if you hadn't noticed. We're living with our _animals_. All the money we had in the world went up in smoke! I don't think I got another option."

"First my parents, and then Luke, and now Han! Why does everyone keep leaving me?" Leia yelled to the sky.

"This ain't about _you,_ Leia. If I had my way, don't you think I'd stay?" Han exclaimed.

"What is this, something about the ' _way you feel about me?'"_ Leia sneered. He'd needled and poked at her about admitting her feelings for so long, but had never once been willing to reciprocate.

"The way _I_ feel-what are you talking about?! Look. Look. This ain't gettin' us anywhere. I'm leavin' as soon as I think you and Chewie and CP can handle things 'round here. We ain't got time to discuss this in committee," he growled.

"We are not a committee! We're a _couple_ , Han!"

"Yeah, a couple 'a fools. We don't have any money, and we're gonna need some damn soon to keep what's left of this sorry place. That means I've gotta go make some."

Leia turned from him angrily and knelt in front of her trunk.

She opened the fastener and opened the top carefully and found them thrown in haphazardly at the top: the ledger and lockbox she'd grabbed before the back wall had collapsed in a shower of sparks.

"I should have known this was all you cared about," Leia stated, dropping it on the makeshift table in front of him and storming away.

 _AN: Please review!_


	6. Nice Men

_AN: How long have we been waiting for this chapter? A year? Savor it, my friends, because it's been a year in the making._

 **Nice Men**

Leia rifled through their meager belongings, looking for the bandages that Sarah had given them. Finding the roll, Leia carefully began wrapping one of her burned hands, not bothering to swallow her wince of pain as the fabric brushed a particularly sore spot.

Han came around the shed. When he noticed Leia struggling and in pain, he abandoned his task and came to kneel beside her, reaching for one of her hands.

Leia pushed him away.

"Look, Leia, I'm only trying to help!" he insisted.

"You make it so difficult sometimes," Leia complained.

"I suppose I do," he retorted, not a hint of repentance in his voice. "You could be a little nicer, though." Leia kept her expression neutral as she continued with the bandage. "Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I'm alright," Han prodded. Leia rolled her eyes and fastened the bandage.

"Occasionally...maybe," she agreed, a haughty smile creeping over her face, "when you aren't acting like a _scoundrel_ ," she insisted. Han almost looked _proud_ of her for that remark.

"Scoundrel? _Scoundrel?_ " he retorted. "I like the sound of that." With that, he took the bandages in one hand and her unwrapped hand in the other, taking up where she left off.

Leia's mind swam and she couldn't remember how she'd planned to insult him next... _blast it Han, blast it all_ …

"Stop that," Leia demanded.

"Stop what?" Han asked innocently.

 _Stop making me love you._

"Stop that. I wrapped the first one just fine," she insisted, leaning away from him. There was plenty of space for her to escape to, but she couldn't bring herself to walk away from him this time.

"Will be harder with one wrapped hand," he replied quietly, his voice low and gravely in her ear, his heated breath dancing across her cheek. Still, he did as she asked and released her hand. "What are you afraid of?" Her eyes snapped up to his. How _dare_ he insinuate-

" _Afraid?_ " Leia challenged. Han fixed her with a piercing look, something she'd seen in his eyes on only a few occasions, and never aimed at her. He reached out slowly and reclaimed her hand, giving up the pretense of first aid and simply holding her hand in his.

"You're trembling," he observed in that delightfully chilling baritone.

"I'm not trembling," Leia countered, realizing as she spoke that she was, indeed, trembling...in anticipation. He tugged slightly on her hand and they moved a fraction of an inch closer, her chest brushing his stomach between them. _What are you doing?!_ her mind screamed, but the fog of his presence was making it impossible to think straight.

"You like me _because_ I am a scoundrel," Han murmured, his wheat-golden eyes dancing playfully over her face. Leia felt dizzy just watching them. She feared she might pitch over the edge of whatever precipice she was standing on.

"I...I happen to like... _nice_ men," she responded in a breathy whisper, quoting what her mother had always told- _society girls like nice men, Leia_. _Nice men._

"I'm a nice man," Han whispered. _Nice men ask your father's permission to court you, escort you to fine parties, and never curse in a woman's presence._ None of those things described Han. They described the man she _should_ be with-

"No you're not," she rebutted, "you're a-" but it didn't matter what he was. She didn't want anyone but the man an inch away from her.

Han leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Leia tried to be appalled, or at least indignant, but she found herself leaning into the the soft feel of his lips . He pulled back after far too short a time, but he didn't straighten up. They remained nose-to-nose, breathing the same air. Leia's eyes fluttered open after a moment. Han looked down at her carefully, his warm eyes full of trepidation and hope.

"Okay, cowboy," she whispered, finally allowing her herself to wrap her arms around him and pull him down toward her again. He gave her a momentary look of relief before their lips met again. Her fingers wound into the hair that just brushed the kerchief tied around his neck, and his hands moved to her waist, holding her tightly, intimately.

He was taking his time with her, his mouth hot and sweet against hers, and he bent her backwards slightly, deepening the kiss. _This_ was what it was like to be swept off your feet, like she'd read about in books. She'd never been kissed before, never imagined that any man could make her feel like this, like-

"Sir! Sir!"

Leia was abruptly jarred from her dreamworld.

"What?" Han demanded, turning to CP. Leia looked up at her husband, at his lips moist and swollen from their kiss, and suddenly, she was terrified of the effect he had over her, the feelings he stirred within her, and the way she obviously made him feel. Overwhelmed, Leia looked for her nearest escape-and slipped out of Han's arms as he turned to admonish CP for interrupting.

Leia hurried into the shed, hoping her feelings would stay outside of the door.

00

The fire was welcome come nightfall. Leia was wrapped in her heavy knit shawl and still found herself moving closer to Han's warmth, though she wasn't entirely sure she could attribute that to the temperature.

Since their kiss that morning, she'd felt inescapably drawn to him. They'd both had plenty to do all day, setting up a makeshift homestead down in the south pasture, but every time they'd crossed paths, they'd looked upon each other with new, open eyes.

It was entertaining to listen to Chewie's stories, peppered here and there by an interjection from CP or a correction from Han. The moon rose steadily overhead, large and bright.

"Probably time we hit the sack," Han finally suggested. Chewie banked the fire and Han helped Leia from the ground, careful not to put pressure on her burned hands. CP and Chewie were stretching out near the fire as Han walked Leia to the shed.

"Can you make it up the ladder with your hands burned?" he asked quietly, holding the lantern aloft as they walked down the length of the structure.

"Yes," Leia assured him as they neared the ladder. She paused before alighting. "Han, I don't want to sleep by myself." He examined her face a moment, trying to read her expression.

"You sure? There ain't gonna be much space up there," he warned.

"I won't mind if you won't," she replied. He thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. She smiled nervously and turned to climb up. Han followed, passing her the lantern to light the hayloft.

Earlier in the day, Leia had made a mattress of the hay, covered it with a woollen blanket salvaged from the bunkhouse, and over top, thrown a quilt from her trunk.

Space in the loft was tight as they maneuvered around, beginning their preparations for bed. It was oddly calming, going through the motions like they would if they'd been in the cabin.

Han stripped down to his long johns and slid beneath the covers. Leia quickly braided her hair and changed into her nightgown before stepping over him and sinking down beside him.

A gust of chilly air blew through the cracks in the wall, making her shiver.

"This shed ain't very air-tight," Han muttered, leaning behind her to stuff his sock into one of the larger cracks. "Crawl in before you lose all your heat," he instructed, lifting the blankets and snuggling deeper, himself.

"We couldn't save any of the pillows," Leia apologized.

"That's alright." He reached for his shirt and balled it up, stuffing it beneath his head. Her shawl was also within reach, and that became her pillow.

There wasn't room for them both to lay on their backs, shoulder to shoulder. They lay on their sides, facing one another. Han wrapped his arm carefully around Leia's shoulders, pulling her gently closer until he could press a kiss against her forehead. He pulled his arm back, but Leia caught his elbow and kept his arm snuggly around her.

"What we said this mornin'...about the money…I do care about you, Leia," he whispered. "I care a whole heap more 'n you know."

00

The smell of him was magnified a thousand-fold with her nose pressed against him like this. His arm was still around her, holding her to his chest, but it had traveled lower in the night and his fingers were now curled against the small of her back. She could feel his breath in her hair, still in the slow, even rhythm of sleep.

A tiny tendril of light curled in through the chink in the barn wall. It was nearly time for them to be awake. Han's chin moved against her forehead and she could feel the scrape of his stubble against her skin. That was a feeling Leia was decidedly _for_.

She tilted her head a bit to recreate the feeling, inadvertently waking her husband. He sniffed a few times and reached to brush her hair from his nose.

"Good morning," she greeted quietly.

"Good morning," he rumbled in reply.

00

The next few days passed in a haze. Their situation was dire and they had few options for how to proceed, but Han and Leia were almost blissfully unaware of their plight. They worked, and ate, and slept, and somehow still found time to sneak off to the creek for a while in the afternoon to spend time exploring their newfound intimacy.

Leia was enjoining getting familiar with this man who was her husband in name and duty, but not yet in her bed. And he seemed happy to keep things as they were, never pushing her beyond what she was comfortable, removing his hand if he got too close to an area she wasn't used to being touched the moment he felt her flinch. Leia never felt more cherished than when she was in Han's arms, despite the fact that they never went beyond kissing.

One afternoon, Han was leaning up against the great trunk of the willow tree, Leia beside him, her hands wrapped around his arms as they kissed.

A horse and rider suddenly approached from the other side of the creek, and they paused, turning to see who was trying to cross onto their land.

Han's hand fumbled beside them for his revolver, and they emerged from the branches of the willow tree together, the revolver pointed straight at the stranger's head. The man pulled off his hat and tugged the kerchief down off his nose.

"Whaddya doin' on-Lando?"

The man had long legs and his feet were clad with fine leather boots-not the mark of a farmer or a ranch man. His flannel shirt was of a fine cut and stitch-no hint of clumsiness in the seamstress's hands.

"Han Solo, as I live and breathe!" the man cried. Leia stepped around from behind Han, who still had the revolver raised. The man urged his horse across the creek, and Han lowered the revolver slightly. "What in tarnation you doin' out here?" Coming up the bank, the man dismounted and started for Han.

"You ain't still mad about that time in Colorado?" Han asked, quickly, raising his revolver again.

"All in the past, Han, all in the past. Now, who do we have here?" He breezed past Han and swept his hat off, smiling predatorily at Leia.

"Leia," she stated dryly. Han holstered his revolver and put his arm around her.

"Leia Solo, my wife," he added. Han and Lando exchanged a brief look.

"And I am Lando Calrissian, ma'am. Well, my congratulations to you, cowboy. And you, my dear-what did you see in this ranch hand?"

"I ain't a hand anymore, Lando. Got my own spread."

"This place is yours, eh? Well, well, well. You've arrived."

"And what are you doin' out here?" Han asked.

"Surveyin' for the railroad. It's a good business, pay ain't bad. Get to see lotta country, meet a lotta people." Lando looked Leia up and down. "Not that you're interested in that nowadays."

"Is there a railroad coming through the area?" Leia asked.

"'Bout ten miles west from here. The company just bought this ranch back yonder to make a branch line from Mount Eisley to Bespin."

"Rieekan mentioned that Tarkin's land'd been bought. Thought we were gettin' some new neighbors, but it looks like we're gettin' a railroad instead," Han said to Leia.

"When are they going to begin construction?" Leia asked.

"Soon as possible. I'm comin' into Mount Eisley today to meet with the land committee to make the final plot for tracks and find land for a depot," Lando said.

"And will you be recruiting men to help with the branch line?" Leia asked. Han began to get where she was going.

"Think so...but...aren't you busy runnin' your ranch, Han?"

"Truth be told, things ain't been goin' so great. Had a rough winter, and I could use some good money."

"Well, I'll put in a good word for you. Now, if you could be so kind as to direct me back to the main road?"

 _AN: Lots of stuff happened in this chapter and I want to know what you thought about every last one of them! Please review!_


	7. Home

_AN: Today, we have a few shorter chapters that will lead us up to the good action!  
_

 **Home**

The morning after Lando had appeared on the ranch, a railroad man rode out to tell Han where and when he was to report for work. The next morning, after pressing a hopeful kiss to Leia's mouth and taking the dinner she'd wrapped up for him in a cloth, Han swung up onto Millennium and rode out to the railroad camp.

He rode back later that evening sore and exhausted but grinning from ear to ear. Everyone was anxious to hear Han's stories from the day, and he indulged them during supper.

The days passed by quickly, all very similar, but not boringly so.

The construction of their new cabin had been all but halted since Han had started with the railroad. The summer evenings were pleasant, though, and Han and Leia were enjoying their privacy up in the hayloft.

They made a habit of talking quietly for a while before falling asleep. Many nights, after a long day of hard work, Leia would rub liniment into the sore muscles of Han's back, and he'd return the favor by slowly massaging salve into her cracked, dried hands. They'd share stories and kisses as the sun set beyond western hills.

"What would you think if we moved on with the railroad?"

"Moved on? Left Falcon Ranch and…"

"Sell this place and keep moving west. There'll be railroads to lay for a long time."

Leia thought for a moment. "Is that what you want to do?"

"I don't know. I just think about this place and how much we've already put into it, and here we are, sleepin' in the shed. If you thought we could do better movin' on, I'd do it," Han admitted.

"Would you be happy? This land...this ranch...it's been your dream your whole life. Could you give it up, just like that?"

"Sweetheart...I think I could be happy doin' just about anything out here, 'long as I knew I was comin' home to you." Their lips met between them for a tender kiss.

"I'm your wife, Han. If you say we're going, I'll go. If you say we're staying, I'll stay."

Han pulled her to lean against his chest, and together they looked across the dimly lit shed. The horses were standing against the far wall, and a few of the dairy cows were asleep in the next pen. Out the wide door, they could see the grass in the pasture lit faintly by the purple evening sky and the flickering flames of the hands' fire. Chewie was singing a low, mournful song to the cattle from somewhere down the fence row. Just below them, Leia could still smell the sweet aroma of freshly cut wood that was waiting to dry into lumber for their new barn. The hay-padded mattress beneath them was soft and inviting, as was the broad expanse of Han's chest she was pillowed against.

"I don't think I can leave this," Han murmured.

"I don't think we should, either," Leia agreed.

"We can do this, you 'n' me. We'll save our ranch, yet."

They sealed their promise with a kiss, and settled into bed. Han's fingertips combed gently through the loose ends of her braid, and as she fell asleep, Leia listened to the sounds of evening on their ranch.

00

"The railroad is lookin' to run another branch line," Lando informed Han.

"Look, Lando, Leia 'n I been talkin', and as much as I appreciate the job you got me, I don't plan on making a career out of this," Han explained.

"It's a good thing I ain't offerin' you a job, then," Lando teased. "Naw, the head office is thinkin' of running a branch line from Bespin to Cloud City. You know, the minin' town to the north? I got a peek at the charts the other day, and it looks like they could use a bit of your land. You want to sell? It's not much, hardly good for farmin' or ranchin'. They're payin' top dollar," Lando reminded. Han stroked his chin thoughtfully for a few moments.

"Yeah, I think that would be alright," he agreed.

"Great. I'll let the boss know I've found him a passage. He'll be in town tomorrow-you can come on in to the land office then."

00

Han and Leia walked into the land office arm in arm, giddy at the prospect of easy money in the lockbox.

"Hello?" Han called. "Anybody home? Tucker?"

"Perhaps he went to meet the railroad man," Leia suggested, walking into the small room and looking around.

It was stark, furnished only with a table, two chairs, and a long wooden bench. Paper maps of the surrounding area covered the table and were hung with nails on the walls. Leia casually looked over the largest map spread on the table and Han came to stand beside her.

"This one here, this is the border of our property?" Leia asked, pointing to the grid.

"Sure is," Han confirmed. His finger traced the ink line to the edge of the paper. "The rest of the ranch must be on this next sheet here," he continued, pulling back the large sheet of parchment. "Right here, that's what we're selling, and the south pasture is about here, with the ridge runnin' right through here," he explained. Leia nodded, beginning to picture the layout of the ranch on the stark grid. "Here's where the cabin's goin', and _here_ ," Han said in a conspiratorial tone, putting his free arm around Leia and pulling her to his side, "is our secret spot."

Leia giggled in spite of herself and Han stole a kiss.

"This line here must be the railroad's proposed route," Leia said.

"Think so. Looks like the papers I seen out at the worksite," Han confirmed.

"Who is James Palpatine?" Leia asked, looking at the smudged pencil. "It says here that our parcel used to be owned by him."

"Must be the fella Jabba got the land from. He don't really strike me as the ranchin' type. This Palpatine man probably gave Jabba the land in payment for his outstanding tab before leaving town," he guessed.

"Have you seen this on the papers at the worksite?" Leia asked, pointing to another place on their property. "It says 'Proposed Railyard Site,'" she read.

"Hmm. Not that I've seen, but I ain't been studyin' the papers much. Besides, if they were going to build a railyard on our property, they'd already have approached us about buyin' the land, and the line would have shifted more to the north. It goes too far south of our property to have a railyard there," Han explained.

"Can I help you?"

The man's voice was sudden and loud, and both Han and Leia jumped and turned to see who'd walked in on their snooping.

"We were just...looking," Leia excused.

"Tucker, we're here to meet the railroad man," Han explained. "That's you, I reckon," he added, seeing the short, pudgy man behind Tucker carrying an attache case with 'Transcontinental' painted in gold letters on the side.

"I got a lotta contracts to push today. Let's git on with it," said the pudgy man, setting his case down on the maps and popping the brass latches.

It took only a few minutes to look over and sign the papers, and Leia was confident everything seemed to be in order.

"Now, the office don't figure it's safe to send the contracts man around with a case full 'o cash. You'll have to ride on up to Cloud City to the branch office to get your payment, but it won't take nary a minute after you show 'em this contract," the man explained. Han and Leia both gave an audible sigh-this was just one more step they hadn't counted on, and Cloud City was nearly a three hour drive.

"Thank you, sir," Leia said quietly as Han gathered his paperwork. They left the office arm in arm with a bit less energy behind their steps.

"Tell you what. We been workin' hard around the ranch, and so have the boys. Won't hurt us too much if'in we all ride up to Cloud City together tomorrow. Leave right after breakfast, get our money, see the town and be home in time for chores no problem. Sound good?"

Leia perked up at his offer.

"I can pack a dinner pail."

Han smiled down his arm.

"A perfect day on the town."

 _AN: Please review!_


	8. Perfect Day on the Town

**Perfect Day on the Town**

The sun rose bright and clear the next morning. Han and Chewie hitched the team and Millennium to the wagon, Leia packed preserves, biscuits, and fresh vegetables into a basket, and they set off toward Cloud City. The ride was sunny and jovial, and it seemed that hardly any time had passed at all before the bustling city was looming on the horizon.

They were just finishing their picnic in the shade at the edge of town when someone called out.

"Han!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. Lando was waving and walking closer to their picnic spot, glancing over his shoulder as he approached.

"What are you doing away from the worksite, slacker?" Han teased, going to greet him.

"Heard someone say you'd probably be up today to cash in on your contract. Thought you might appreciate a personal escort to the office," he offered, throwing another glance over his shoulder.

Leia detected something... _off_ in his voice, but she supposed it couldn't hurt to let him merely lead them to the office. They didn't know where to go anyhow-it would make things faster to have someone help them find their way, so they could be on their way and back to the ranch as soon as possible.

"Thanks, pal," Han agreed. They tucked the dinner basket back into the wagon, then all set off toward the railroad office together.

Lando talked the whole way there, in the nervous, unsettled way people talk when they are hiding something. Another nervous look around. The muscles of Han's arm were tense in her grasp, and she saw him unclip his holster with his free hand as they crossed the street. CP and Chewie had also noticed something was wrong, and were hanging back a bit, surveying the scene as they approached the Transcontinental office.

"Well...here we are. You can go on in and the teller will help you in the back room."

They stepped in cautiously, following Lando to the back room. It seemed like a normal, quiet office.

Lando pushed the door open and Han and Leia froze.

 _AN: I told you, a shorty...on Saturday, I'm posting the rest of the story-about six chapters if I've counted right. Clear your schedules! And as always, please leave me a review!_


	9. Cards on the Table

_AN: Thank you for joining me for the thrilling marathon end of this saga! I'm going to keep quiet now until the very end, but I'd like to politely request that you review, review, review! See you after the final curtain!  
_

 **Cards on the Table**

Wearing all black and face hidden by hat and kerchief, Vader stood at the far end of the room. He was flanked by his henchmen, and Jabba and his right hand man, Bif Fortuna, stepped out of the shadows. The men who were _supposed_ to be running the office were unconscious and tied up in the corner. Panic flooded Leia's mind.

Quickly drawing his weapon, Han pulled Leia behind him and fired off a rogue shot to the ceiling before the pistol was swiftly kicked out off his hand by one of the gang members. Their chances were diminishing by the second. CP and Chewie were also instantly grabbed, their arms pinned behind their backs and their sidearms taken from their holsters.

Han's grip on Leia's hand tightened and he pulled her back to stand beside him. They both looked at Lando in betrayal and confusion.

"They arrived late this morning. I had no other choice," Lando sighed, glancing down at the men on the floor.

"How kind of you to join us," Vader said blithely, his voice sounding like the scrape of rock against rock. "I don't recommend you struggle. Everyone in this room has orders to shoot any one of you who attempts to escape, and then immediately shoot the remaining three," he explained as the men's sidearms were taken from their holsters. "Sit. We have important matters to discuss."

"I'll say," Han spat. To Leia's surprise, it was Jabba that sat at the head of the table, rather than Vader.

"I see confusion on that bright little face of yours, Mrs. Solo," Jabba drawled. "It should take you only a moment to puzzle out what's going on here," he challenged.

Leia looked around the table at all the hidden faces of the gang members, at Fortuna sitting proudly beside his boss, and at Vader, mimicking the barkeep's confident stance.

 _Jabba_ was in charge here.

The rustling, the fire...they weren't just the outlaw's attempt at intimidation. They were hired muscle, taking orders from a puppetmaster.

"You've been masterminding the failure of Falcon Ranch," Leia accused sharply.

"She's a smart thing," Jabba complemented, looking at Han. "Marryin' her might be the only smart thing you done since showing up in Mount Eisley.

"Mrs. Solo is right. I originally wanted nothing more than to dump that miserable ranch on some sorry sucker. And you were the perfect sorry sucker," Jabba said to Han. "But not two months after I sold it, the railroad came by, offering me a bundle of cash for that land. Wanted to turn it into a railyard. Of course, I technically no longer _owned_ that land, which became a problem. You were just too hard to evict… I upped payments, and you met me at every turn, even with all that ridiculous interest I charged you. Not that I minded the extra cash, of course."

"I _knew_ that interest was trumped up," Han accused.

"Shut it, Solo. I hired the toughest rustlers to scare you off, and you _still_ didn't budge.I even paid off your neighbor, Old Man Tarkin, to help make your lives hell. I burned your damn _house_ down, and you _still_ stayed! You Solos were tougher to shake than pneumonia in January," Jabba yelled. "As soon as I heard through my confederates that you were starting to sell bits of that useless ranch to the railroad, I knew it was only a matter of time before they'd try to go through with their original plan, and offer _you_ the money for the railyard. That's when I knew it was time for me to step in."

"So what are you going to do with us now?" Han challenged.

"Well, I can't very well just let you go, can I? I've had a contract with Mr. Vader for quite some time now. I'm sure he'll be willing to see it's terms changed a bit...The Empire Gang is quite skilled at arranging... _accidents_. Wouldn't it be unfortunate if you were all shot while trespassing on Crazy Yoda's property? Or perhaps something might spook your horse on the way home, and your wagon takes a nasty tumble down Hoth Mountain," Jabba suggested. "I'm not picky, Anakin. You're the expert."

"Yessir, boss." Vader confirmed, looking down the table at the residents of Falcon Ranch. "It will be my pleasure."

00

They left the office at nightfall, hands tied behind them and a gun pointed at each of their heads to discourage any wild acts of bravery. They were thrown into the back of a covered wagon and guarded by two men with rifles for the short, bumpy ride. Leia was trying to come up with a plan-anything to escape-but no thoughts would form in her brain beyond fear.

Dusk had fallen when they reached their destination. From the short glimpses Leia caught in the lantern light, it appeared they were being taken into an abandoned mining shaft. Her suspicions were confirmed when they were herded into creaking elevator that cranked downward into the endless abyss. CP was beside her, and she felt his hand quaking with fear. Leia grasped it in hers, hoping to offer the man a bit of comfort, even though the situation was dire.

Guns still to their temples, shackles were locked around their ankles. It was only then that they were left in silence, a dripping tallow candle their only source of light.

"That low down snake in the grass...I shoulda known he'd sell us out. The next time I get my hands on him...it ain't gonna be pretty," Han warned.

"Now is not the time to plot revenge. We need to figure out a plan. Some way to escape, or send for help…" Leia said, pacing the tiny area that her chains allowed her to.

"Oh, heavens...we're going to die in this miserable hole," CP wailed. Leia put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"That kinda talk ain't gonna help us, neither. Leia's right. We need to make a plan," Han stated urgently.

They worked through the night, first trying to pull the chains loose from the stone walls, then trying to find a way to jump on whoever came down the elevator shaft, and even trying to pick the locks with Leia's hair pins. Their desperation grew with each passing minute, tension permeating the small stone room.

Nothing they tried worked, however, and the tallow candle was soon burning low in the bowl.

"Let's not hurt ourselves tryin' to do somethin' stupid. We should get some sleep and be ready for whatever comes next," Han suggested.

"Yes. I suppose they won't just let us die down here where no one can see it," CP lamented. "They'll bring us up and shoot us all after they starve us for a few days!"

"CP, knock it off. Han's right. We should make sure we're ready to make an escape when we have a better chance."

They all settled down, leaning against the wall or stretching out on the floor as the flame from the candle flickered and danced through its death throes.

Leia snuggled up beside Han, comforted slightly when he wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss into her hair.

"We'll be okay, Sweetheart. They made one mistake-we're together. We're unstoppable together."


	10. Out of the Mine

**Out of the Mine**

Water was dripping from the ceiling of the shaft, falling into a puddle with a hollow _plop_. Sometime in the night, Han and Leia had pulled her shawl across them as a blanket against the chilly air. It had been a long time since Leia had felt so trapped, so helpless-she remembered the day well, almost exactly a year ago. The day she'd realized she had only enough money left for a few months, and had seen Han's advertisement. The day she'd made a half-cocked decision to leave everything she'd ever known to marry a man she'd never met. Leia wondered how many solutions like that remained for her.

Leia wasn't sure how long they'd been left alone before the elevator returned, carting Vader and a few others. One replaced the tallow candle, bathing the room in yellow light again.

"Him first," Vader decided, not wasting time mincing words. His henchmen unlocked the chains around Han and dragged him to the elevator. Han gave a sharp kick and managed to nail one of the men in the shin. The other, however, quickly retaliated, bringing the back of his pistol down onto Han's head.

"Stop it! You can't keep us here-we've done _nothing_ wrong!" Leia yelled, knowing that it wouldn't do any good.

"Look who just volunteered to be next," Vader sneered. The gang left with Han's limp frame in tow, and Leia didn't stop pacing until the elevator returned nearly an hour later.

Han was thrown into the cave room and the gang members cranked the elevator up again without a word. Leia rushed to where her husband was lying on the floor, anger and resentment burning in her throat. Concern for Han, though, trumped those feelings. She helped him sit up and he leaned into her, groaning as his body protested.

"Why are they doing this?" Leia murmured, carefully stroking his forehead, pulling his hair away from the wound on his cheek. He was trembling slightly, and she wanted nothing more than to take all his pain away.

"I dunno," Han replied. Leia used part of her torn petticoat to wipe the dirt and sweat from his face. She pressed a kiss against his brow and leaned her cheek against his face, knowing there was no way she could ease his pain. Blood oozed to the ground from his shoulder, and she was sure there were more wounds in his back from the bite of Vader's whip.

With each gentle pass of the cloth, Leia tried to imbibe the wound with tenderness and love. He'd helped heal so many of her wounds-bee stings, burns, a twisted ankle, a cut from when she wasn't adept at peeling potatoes. Every time, his ministrations had made her feel much better-loved, cared for, looked after. Like he'd do whatever he could to ease her pain. She could only hope that she made him feel that way, also.

The elevator dropped back down into view, bringing Lando and two gang members into their prison. Anger gave Han sudden strength, and he shoved himself off the ground to lash out at their betrayer. Chewie, too rushed forward, but his shackles wouldn't let him get close. Han's fist connected with Lando's eye before he was shoved back to the ground by the butt of a rifle.

"I've done all I can. I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I've got my own problems." The man's head hung in shame as Han and Chewie glared at him.

"Yeah, you're a real hero," Han spat, blood dripping down his cheek.

Lando and his escort boarded the elevator once more, and Chewie helped Han settle on the floor.

"You certainly have a way with people," Leia teased, dabbing at the blood on his cheek.

The flame of the candle once again dipped low and came close to flickering out, and they were left in near darkness.

00

It was several hours before someone descended on the elevator. The remaining stump of candle had burned out long ago, and their prison was lit only through the faintest glow of daylight from somewhere far, far above.

There were four men, and they came down with their pistols aimed. Chewie, Han, and Leia all had their hands bound tightly with rope before being shoved into the small space.

"We demand to know where we're being taken," Leia said boldly as they ascended. The men just chuckled dusty laughs.

The elevator stopped in a dim corridor. They were dragged up the long sloping path, and after a moment, true daylight could be seen up ahead. Men were silhouetted just inside the mouth of the mine, and horses hitched to rigs could be heard standing impatiently outside.

Jabba stood beside Vader. Han's insides roiled at the thought of those men in cahoots.

"Take Solo and do with him what you will. She's for me," Vader grinned sadistically at Leia. Han's blood boiled, cursing the man for whatever he'd even _consider_ doing to Leia.

"And these three?" one of the henchmen asked, nodding his head toward where Lando, CP, and Chewie were being held.

The outlaw shrugged. "Not my concern."

"Take him away," Jabba instructed Fortuna. The slimy man produced another set of shackles from a wagon and locked Han's legs. The rope with which they'd bound his wrists in the mine shaft bit into his skin.

Han looked Chewie in the eye.

"Take care of her," he demanded.

Leia's heart broke, wondering if she was about to lose her husband forever, the same way she'd lost her parents. So many things unsaid, so much left unresolved...He'd said they could handle anything together, but would she be able to carry on if she had only his memory? Or was she closer to her death than she knew, forced to watch him carry on with life from a heavenly plain?

"Get _on_ with it," Jabba demanded. Fortuna gave Han a shove, but his fight wasn't yet gone: he elbowed Fortuna in the chin and lunged past the Empire gang. They managed to catch hold of his arms. With his last bit of strength, Han yanked away from his captors and lunged toward Leia. She met his kiss desperately, pouring all her unsaid emotions into it. Jabba's henchmen wrenched him away, forcing them to break the kiss.

"I love you!" she declared. He had to know. She'd loved him for months, if she were being truthful, and if this was to be their last moment together, she had to tell him.

"I know," he responded. The look in her eyes as she clung to Chewie told him she knew, too. He'd known all along. She was the last thing he saw before the sack was thrown over his head and he was flung backward into the wagon. Jabba and his employees jumped up into the wagon and it rattled away into the dust.

"That was a...touching goodbye," Vader yawned. "Appropriate, seeing as it was your last. You know, I think I'd like to get this all over with right now. The wife and the foreman first," he decided.

The other gang members yanked Leia and Chewie forward, pulling CP and Lando to the side. The gangster raised his guns, one aimed at each Leia and Chewie.

Leia closed her eyes, not giving Vader the pleasure of seeing fear in them. She forced her mind to call up a special, calming image...the first thing she saw every morning: the peaceful expression on Han's face, the first droplets of morning sun splashing over him, his hair all in disarray and a shadow appearing across his chin.

She heard the shot, and didn't feel any pain. Maybe when she opened her eyes, her parents would be waiting to meet her, bring her to the other side…

Slowly, her lashes parted.

The scene before her, though, wasn't the afterlife. It was the dusty entrance to the mine, the Empire Gang gathered around. Vader lay face-down on the ground, Luke standing behind him with a smoking gun.

"Luke! You saved us!" CP cried. Leia was too shocked to move.

"I've completed my training. I couldn't find anyone at the ranch, so I followed the wagon tracks toward Cloud City. Saw a rig making fast time back toward Mount Eisley, and I figured it couldn't be a coincidence...I got here just in time."

One of the gang members quickly raised his gun, but Luke was quick to draw and fire just past the man's ear.

"I wouldn't try anything. I've seen enough to put _all_ of you away for the rest of your life- _if_ you're lucky enough to be spared the gallows."

One of the hands groaned and threw his weapon down into the dust near Vader.

"Wha...what should we do now?" asked one of the gang members nervously.

"Run. Get far, far away from here, and clean up your act. You can be sure that if I ever see your faces again, I'll lock you up," Luke promised, raising his pistol.

"Ye-yes-yes sir!" The men ran like the wind, not one of them turning to look back.

Luke rushed over, pulling out his knife to cut at the ropes that bound his friends.

"I'm so glad you're back," Leia whispered, hugging him tightly.


	11. The End of Anakin Vader

**The End of Anakin Vader**

Carl and Sarah Rieekan were standing outside the General Store, passing the time of day with Jan Dodonna. The raucous clattering of a wagon filled the air, and they all glanced down the street to see a massive black horse growing closer, surrounded by a cloud of dust.

"That Solo...It's a miracle the man has any teeth in his skull, the way he dri-"

"That ain't Solo," Sarah said, a note of disbelief and awe in her voice.

"That's his horse, and ain't nobody's rig rattles like that," Dodonna contradicted.

"It's Leia."

Sure enough, the rig shook to a stop and Solo's petite wife swung herself down to the ground and tied the horse.

"Sheriff, I think you'd better come out to Falcon Ranch. Marshall Skywalker would like to give you the details of the death of Anakin Vader."

00

Leia gave up trying to sleep in the hayloft bed that now felt far too empty. She came down in her nightgown and stood at the edge of the cattle stalls, watching the mother cows and their calves, trying to dispel the terrible images from her head. Han, tied to a chair in Jabba's saloon. Drugged and unconscious in an alley. Lying at the bottom of a ravine, dead.

Tears sprang from her eyes and she buried her face in her arms.

"Please," she begged the universe. "Please let him be okay," she cried through her tears. Gertie came up to the edge of her stall, pushing her velvety nose into the circle of Leia's arms. Leia patted the cow's head, appreciating her motherly attention. "He'll be okay," she promised.

Squeaker, Gertie's calf, pushed her way between Leia and her mother. Leia bent down to kiss the calf's head.

"I'll find him. I have to."

00

The next morning, Luke and Leia were sitting around the makeshift table beside the fire pit on Yavin Ridge. Luke had seen the dark circles beneath Leia's eyes and poured her an extra-large cup of coffee. Knowing she'd need a friend, he was sitting beside her making small talk while she finished it, waiting to make sure she was ready to go on about the day. Hearing a rider approaching from the north, Luke drew his weapon, fearful of an attack by the remnants of the Empire Gang.

Instead of masked riders with weapons drawn, he saw Carl Rieekan approaching at break-neck speed.

The sheriff rode into the barnyard, calling a hasty greeting to the pair.

"I rode up to the county seat this morning. An old friend runs the county records office. I've gotten all the papers I can find that have anything to do with the railroad, this ranch, Jabba's Saloon...anything I could think of," Carl said, extracting a handful of papers from his saddle bag. " All we have to do is find a smoking gun."

Leia wasted no time in spreading the papers out on the table.

"He's a reliable man, right?" Luke asked. "The last thing we need is someone tipping off Jabba that we're checking on him."

"He's a good fellow. On the straight and narrow, narry you fear," the sheriff assured.

Luke nodded and began helping Leia. They flipped through the wrinkled papers, examining the contents for anything they could use to prove that Jabba was connected to all the bad things that had happened.

"These are all signed by James Palpatine," Leia read. "Palpatine...he was the man that owned this ranch before Jabba," she remembered.

"Can't be. The folks who owned this place before Jabba were named...I don't remember. Some big long mouthful of German," Carl said. "Heinriech, or something."

"Say, this one has the fellow's middle initial. James B. Palpatine. Maybe he went by the middle initial," Luke suggested, passing the paper to the sheriff. Leia wracked her brains, trying to think of all the people she'd met since moving to Mount Eisley, all the people she'd heard mentioned in stories, any name she could have possibly heard that could hold the key.

"Hold on. J. B. Jabba. Han told me a long time ago that no one knows Jabba's real name. These are legal documents, though, so he'd be required to sign his full legal name," she realized.

"I'll be danged," Carl exclaimed. "Don't you worry, little lady. I'll take this back up to the county seat, and get it before a judge. We'll have Jabba behind bars in a month," he promised, gathering the papers and tucking them safely back in his saddlebag.

Leia sank down at the table, hands shaking in relief. She held tight to her tin cup to still them.

Luke motioned to Rieekan, taking him out of Leia's earshot.

"I couldn't help but notice that you never said we'd find Han. Are you as worried as I am that he...might not make it back?" Luke asked in a quiet tone of voice.

Carl's face fell and he scrubbed a hand across his chin.

"I'll tell you son, I don't know. I _hope_ he's alive...but it's a longshot." The man looked sadly over at Leia. "Goll, I hope we're wrong. I hate to bring this up...but...It might be best to just bring her down easy now, rather than waitin' 'till we got Jabba and there's no Solo to go with…"

Luke grimaced. "I'll do my best. Thanks, Carl."

The men shook hands and Carl rode off towards the ridge. Luke sighed and returned to the table.

"He's alive, Luke. I can feel it," Leia stated plainly. Luke gave her a surprised look. "You men think you're so smart, walking four feet away to have a private conversation. Don't you think I thought about that possibility? That Han might be gone forever? He's not. I just know he's not."

Luke was quiet for a moment. "Ok. I, uh...I guess we'll operate under that assumption until Sheriff Rieekan tells us otherwise. No need to kill all hope now."

Leia shot daggers at him. She set her cup firmly on the table and rose. "I'm not waiting an entire month, Luke. I'm going to find my husband. _Now._ "


	12. Jabba's Palace

**Jabba's Palace**

The barroom of Jabba's Palace was surprisingly open and well-lit, packed with men and saloon women, and the bright, plunky music of a piano up on a stage opposite the bar. The whole room was crawling with _money_ , and Bif Fortuna _liked_ money. He was wiping down glasses behind the bar, keeping an eye on every transaction.

He looked over at the man he'd just hired to deal cards, checking to make sure he was dealing in Jabba's crooked way, and was putting all the money in the strong box and not in his pocket. _His_ _kind_ tended to take whatever they could, which is why they had to be watched. Still, all things considered, they weren't much worse than the other riffraff Bif employed, and customers were less likely to admit being fleeced by the house when it was a black man doing the fleecing.

Everything seemed to be running smoothly, but Bif couldn't relax—the big boss was in this week. The man had a hand in all the saloons in Alliance County, but this was his home base. Bif might be the floor boss, and the big boss when Jabba was out checking his interests elsewhere, but when Jabba was in, Bif was completely on edge.

Things had been hectic all month—ever since Jabba had grabbed Solo. The rancher was strong and mouthy, and Jabba hadn't trusted anyone but Bif with the task of keeping him around—which meant even more of a strain. It had taken a few weeks of regular beatings and strong doses of laudanum to keep him down, but he was starting to be resigned to his fate and took his punishment without too much lip.

One of Solo's hands had come in one day tryin' to "buy his options." Bif had taken one look at the wiry, bespectacled man and laughed. Jabba had shown up right about then and all of a sudden, the hand was workin' for Jabba, running figures in his head. Stupid, _stupid_ people.

They hadn't learnt the law of the West yet—every man for hisself.

Business went on as usual during the day, ramping up to be rowdier and more raucous as the night went on. There was a fist fight at one of the card tables, and someone got too handsy with one of the girls before paying his way. Two quiet fellows came in off the street, one real big and hairy, the other tiny, clothes hangin' off like he might actually be a bean pole underneath his shirt and vest. They left their hats pulled low and the smaller fellow asked for the keys to a sleepin' room. They paid and made their way up the stairs, and Bib's attention was drawn by another crisis in the barroom.

00

The door creaked just slightly as she opened it, slipping the lock pick back in her vest pocket. Leia remained still for a moment listening for a sign that someone had heard her. Everything was silent, and Leia crawled through the door before closing it with a quiet click.

The storage room was almost pitch dark, but she heard breathing from the far side of the room, breathing that she was almost certain was Han's. She fumbled her way over to him, cringing when her booted foot hit the edge of a table and glassware rattled almost endlessly on top of it.

Han grunted and his breathing shifted from sleeping to waking.

"Whozare?" Han muttered dazedly. "What's goin' on?"

"Shh, shh, I'm here to help you," she promised in a hoarse whisper, trying to use his voice to locate where he might be. Her fingers suddenly found a coarse blanket, and just beyond that, a warm body.

"Who are you?" Han demanded, raising his voice.

"Someone who loves you," Leia muttered, pushing her hat back as she moved into the sliver of moonlight falling through a high window.

" _Leia_ ," he breathed. She leaned forward, lips finding his in the dark, fingers plunging into his sweat-dampened hair. His mouth moved clumsily against hers for a moment before he leaned heavily into her.

"Come on, we have to get out of here," Leia beckoned, rising to her feet and helping him to his.

"What did they do to you?'' she whispered as he stumbled and maintained only a weak grip on her hands.

"Laudanum, I think," he replied numbly. "And a few swift kicks to the face, and three square meals a week," he added.

"We'll fix all that as soon as we're out of here," Leia promised, shifting some to take more of his weight on her small frame. They hobbled slowly to the door and Leia opened it quietly, peeking out into the barroom before opening it wider and leading him out. It felt so good to have her arms around him again after a month of anxious, uncertain separation, and she longed to do nothing more than kiss him until her lips were raw the minute they were out of immediate danger.


	13. Barroom Brawl

**Barroom Brawl**

They were almost to the door where Chewie was standing guard when loud footsteps echoed on the raised floor behind the bar.

"I know those footsteps," Han sighed. The gas lights behind the bar sprang up, giving the room an eerie, flickering glow. "Jabba, I promise, it's not what it looks like," Han slurred, squinting into the bright light.

The sound of voices drew Chewie in and Leia cringed.

"Grab 'em," Jabba commanded. They were suddenly surrounded by people, all his lackeys. Han was wrenched from her grasp and her arms were twisted around behind her by a man that smelled disgustingly of booze. "Bif, take the foreman down and show him our spacious cellar.

You two take Solo back to his room and see if you can't convince him to stick around. Be as persuasive as you want. But don't knock him off—yet. And the little woman? Hmm…see if Miss Louise and Kitty have anything that'll fit her."

00

Leia grimaced as the women cinched the dreadful purple dress tighter around her waist. So little fabric...she'd never been this exposed to _anyone_ , not even Han. Her cleavage was visible over the low-cut neckline, hidden only by the tacky black lace that covered every hem.

"Kitty, you start on her eyes. I'm going to find some shoes and a necklace," Miss Louise instructed. The young girl nodded and sat in front of Leia, smearing rouge across her cheeks.

"You're going to escape from here, right?" she whispered.

"I-what?" Leia asked.

"I saw what happened down there. You're going to escape, right? You have to take me with you when you go. Please, I'm _begging_ you," the girl implored. "My father was indebted to Jabba, too. Things...bad things...started happening to us out on our farm. Our fields were burned, our barn...my father, they shot him. I was barely 16 when that happened, and the only thing I could do to pay it off was to come here. I'm almost 18 now, and I _know_ my debt has been paid off, but Jabba won't let me go. Interest, he says. _Please_. You _have_ to help me."

"We'll try our best. I...it's going to be dangerous, and we don't have a plan," Leia whispered. Her heart ached for the girl, but right now, she was just as worried about making sure her family made it out alive, too. "If you can't escape with us, we'll make sure to come back. Get help, or...something," she promised.

Kitty's face melted into joy.

"Thank you. Oh, thank you-"

They both snapped their mouths shut when they heard footsteps in the corridor. A moment later, Miss Louise was opening the door. The woman held up a black choker with a large glass gem hanging from the center.

"Find the lipstick, Kitty. Little Miss Trouble-maker is almost ready for the floor."

00

Leia cast her eyes around the barroom, and when she saw that no one was looking, she tipped over the candle on the table moving away quickly. She watched from across the barroom as the dusty draperies caught fire.

"Fire! Fire! We got a fire!" one of the patrons cried. The bar exploded in commotion-just the perfect distraction. While everyone was occupied, Leia snuck behind the bar and unbolted the trap door. Chewie looked up from the floor, and Leia beckoned to him. He pulled himself out of the cellar with his great arms and they peeked over the bar together-everyone was still clamouring from the fire.

"Han's in that room back there," Leia whispered urgently. "Go get him. I'll keep an eye on the door and try to cause another stir when you've got him."

The foreman nodded and crept toward the back room. Leia rejoined the patrons. The fire had quickly been taken care of, and now everyone was filtering away from the area.

The minutes ticked by slowly as Leia avoided the wandering hands of drunken men. Lando had been keeping an eye on her as she made the rounds, waiting for her signal. She sidled up to Kitty.

"The man in the corner with the spectacles...follow him," Leia whispered. The young girl nodded.

A large hand poked around the door of the back room, giving her the _ok_ symbol. Leia gave a subtle nod to Lando, and suddenly, all hell broke loose.

Lando stood angrily, flipping the card table on its side. Chips, cards, and whiskey went everywhere, and the players all fell from their stools. They were on their feet in an instant, shouting at Lando for all they were worth. A punch was thrown, followed quickly by three more. One man fell backward into another table, upsetting two men's competition for a girl's attention. Those men quickly got in on the action, and the girl began shouting about her torn dress and bruised leg.

Bif and Jabba were involved in an instant, and Leia saw CP and Kitty shuffle quietly for the door. She was starting after them when Miss Louise caught her wrist.

"You don't get to go sneaking out during a fight. We're in charge of first aid afterward. We'll need some bandages." Miss Louise dragged her toward the bar.

Chewie picked that inopportune moment to bring Han out from the back room.

"Boss!" Miss Louise yelled to Jabba. "Solo's makin' a run for it!"

Jabba turned quickly on his heel and lunged after Han and Chewie.

Leia grabbed one of the bandages and shoved it into Miss Louise's mouth. The woman fought back quickly, reaching to grab a handful of Leia's hair. She shouted in pain as the pins were wrenched from the complicated coif, but pushed the woman back against the bar and used another bandage to tie her to the brass rail.

Bif came for Lando, hands aimed for Lando's throat. Lando brought his foot up suddenly, connecting it with the barkeep's chest and sending him careening backward into a table. Cards and chips went flying and Lando made a break for the door, shoving another dealer out of the way as he ran.

Han came up swinging at Jabba and caught him on the chin. It didn't take a moment for the barkeep to recover from Han's weak swing, and he shoved Han backward. Leia left Miss Louise at the bar and ran to her husband's side just as Jabba gave Han a swift kick to the ribs.

Her hands wrapped around the first thing they could—a bottle of whiskey. She swung it with deadly accuracy, hearing the glass shatter as it made contact with Jabba's head and smelling the whiskey as it spilled all over the barroom.

The man screamed as the whiskey ran into his eyes, and Leia pulled Han's arm over his shoulder and made for the door.

00

Luke and CP hoisted Han into the back of the wagon and CP jumped up to help settle his unconscious form against Leia as Luke vaulted up to ride shotgun beside Chewie. They'd hitched all four horses to the wagon, and when Chewie gave the signal, they jumped into action, pulling the heavy wagon quickly out of town.

Leia pulled the wool blanket around her shoulders and arms, and tucked the rest of it over Han. His head was in her lap and she brushed her fingers along his hairline, examining his face.

Han's eyes were both black and swollen, and he had a row of bruises along his jawline, but he was still her handsome husband. She bent down and placed a few kisses over his forehead. His eyes flicked open and he gave a weak smile, grimacing as he reached up to pull her down for a kiss.

"What'id they do'ta you?" he asked, touching her hair and heavily made-up face.

"It doesn't matter now. It's over, and Jabba will be out of business and in jail for a long time," she promised, kissing him again. He shivered as she brushed his hair off his forehead, and she hitched the blanket around them tighter.


	14. The Beginning of Forever

**The Beginning of Forever**

Han woke slowly, his head full of fog, mouth full of cotton, limbs full of lead. Where was he? He finally convinced his eyes to open…it was dark, and definitely not familiar. Was he dreaming? Maybe, because there was Leia's rosy perfume, and he could feel her little form curled into his side.

"Sweetheart?" he mumbled. She sat up quickly and placed her hand on his arm.

"I'm here."

"Sweetheart," Han murmured again, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly to his body. His parched throat cried out for water, but his parched soul cried out for _her_ , as much as he could touch and take in. She let him hold her like that for a few moments, tucking her face into his neck and twining her fingers into his hair. Han let his hands roam, feeling for the warmth of her skin beneath her nightgown.

"I love you, Sweetheart, Leia, God, I love you," he murmured over and over and over again. She repeated his chorus, reveling in him, in hearing those words flowing so freely from his mouth.

"Stars, Han, I missed you," she whispered back.

"I'm sorry, Leia. I'm sorry for this whole damn mess. The mortgage and the gang and...the fire, I'm sorry you had to come out here to this mess," he apologized, leaning into her shoulder, seemingly afraid to look at her. Leia leaned back, forcing him to look up at her, laying a gentle finger over his lips.

"Shh. Shh. I'm right where I want to be," she promised, leaning in to kiss him.

"I love you," he repeated.

"Happy anniversary," Leia replied. He smiled and kissed her again.

"Where are we?" he asked suddenly, looking around the room.

"We're in our cabin, Han. While you were gone, all of our friends came. They worked so hard for two days and helped us rebuild our cabin _and_ our barn."

"They did that? For us?" he asked. Leia nodded. Han looked around the room with new appreciation. He leaned back against the pillows and Leia snuggled up beside him.

"They told me we might not find you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"But you broke into the saloon and found me anyhow," he praised, kissing her forehead. Leia nodded again and leaned up for another kiss. Han's arms tightened around her, leaning into the kiss. "I can't believe we've been married for a whole year," he marveled.

"Me either. It's been _quite_ a year," she giggled into his ear. He swallowed up the last traces of her laughter in another kiss. "Do you think the rest of our marriage will be this exciting?"

"Well, I sure hope it's exciting, but for _different_ reasons," Han replied.

Leia sat up suddenly, looking at him seriously.

"Han, I...I want to be your wife. In _every_ way." She ran her hands over his chest, offering a kiss. He took her up on her offer, holding her closer than he'd ever held her before.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

00

 _Months later, at the end of the summer_

Han's fingers brushed over the lacy edge of her nightgown and Leia moved deeper into the circle of his arms.

"You know, wakin' up to you is a hell of a lot nicer than wakin' up to chores," he rumbled. Leia smiled and kissed him.

"I should hope I rate higher than mucking Millennium's stall," Leia retorted.

"Mm, barely," Han teased, stealing a kiss.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to a lady."

"A thousand pardons, ma'am," he drawled, leaning to steal another kiss.

"Excuse me. I'm going to kiss someone who rates me higher on their list," she teased, pushing him back and climbing out of bed. Leia smirked as she slipped out of his reach and scampered toward her petticoats. Han crawled to the end of the bed and Leia giggled, slipping just beyond the length of his arm as she pulled the skirts on over her head and fastened them at her waist.

"Get back here. We got heaps a' time before I gotta go to chores," Han demanded.

"The sun's already up," she returned, reaching for her hairbrush. "It's a wonder that no one's come to see what's keeping you."

"I'm the boss, and I got a wife. They know what's keepin' me and ain't nothin' gonna change that," Han replied. "Now get back here," he repeated. Leia ignored him and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Han's hat was hanging on a peg beside her dress and she picked it up, turning saucily to face him.

"Look at me," she bade, placing the hat just so on her head and perching her hands on her hips. "I'm Han Solo. I can shoot anything and ride everything and I can be defiant even when there isn't anything for me to defy." Leia sauntered toward Han, her petticoats swishing around her ankles. "I can defy the dust, and the bugs, and the dawn. Whomever and whatever the hell I please," she finished, ending her little trek across the cabin standing directly in front of him. Her small stature and the height of their bed put them almost exactly at eye level and they were both still for a moment, staring into each other's eyes, each daring the other to make the first move.

Han grabbed Leia by the waist and pulled her against him. The hat fell off as they tumbled back into the quilts. Leia smiled into his kiss, relaxing against his muscular form, toned from working incessantly on the ranch.

"I gotta get my kisses now, before I'm off on the cattle drive for three weeks."

"You could always kiss the cattle. I'm sure we could arrange that," Leia teased.

"I'll stick to kissing you," Han decided, and he did just that.

 _AN: And with that, we've reached the end! Thank you for all of you who've stuck with me this far, especially to all of my wonderful betas who have helped to make this process successful. A big special thank you to Graciecatfamilyband/Imnothere24 for her brave commitment to stick with me from the very beginning, when this story was but a gleam in my eye. Love you, mom (heart emoji)._

 _I'd truly love to hear each and every one of your thoughts now that we've wrapped up! Please leave me a review or send me a note on tumblr!_

 _With that, ON, over and out._


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